Vietnam Flashcards
What injuries did napalm cause?
Fifth degree burns to 3/4 of victims - innocent people
What was napalm?
A US tactic that was a thick sticky gel to burn through jungle trying to find the Ho Chi Minh trail
What was agent orange?
A US tactic which was a defoliant used to over fertilise trees to destroy hiding places of the NLF.
The long term effects of agent orange
Caused babies to be born with deformities
Caused cancer in those who handled it
What was operation rolling thunder in 1965?
A joint attack by US and ARVN war planes on key military and industrial targets in the North.
Where were the first US marines sent to?
Air base at Danang
How many troops were there in Vietnam in 1964?
16,000
How many troops were there in Vietnam in 1968?
Over 500,000
What was the hearts and minds tactic?
The US trying to win the support of people in South Vietnam by improving standard of living which cost the US but showed it was better to not be communist. They built roads and better housing
What were guerilla tactics?
The tactics used by the Vietcong such as booby traps (e.g. bouncing Betty) which were aimed to injure soldiers as that caused more trouble for the US.
Why was it difficult to establish the difference between peasants and the VC?
They wore the same black pyjamas as the peasants so they couldn’t distinguish who was who.
During the war between France and supporters of Ho Chi Minh, how much did the US give to france?
$3 million due to fears of the spread of communism
When was the battle of dien bien phu?
1954
What were the Geneva peace conference decisions?
- Vietnam would be temporarily divided into two along the 17th parallel
- the north would be under the control of communist Ho Chi Minh
- the south would be controlled by catholic anti communist ngo dinh diem
- there would be a general election in 1956 for the whole of Vietnam to decide its future
Dien bien phu casualties
4,000 killed and wounded, 8,000 missing for the French
Vietminh hand 8,000 killed and 12,000 wounded
Between 1954 and 1960 how much did America provide in aid for the South?
$1.6 billion
What did the us do to show support against the north?
They sent US military advisers in 1954 to help prepare for 1956 elections.
They also backed Diem’s refusal to hold elections in 1956 in case the communists won.
Why was Diem’s corrupt government unpopular?
Buddhists were excluded from government positions
Why was the NLF set up?
In opposition to diem and soon controlled parts of the countryside in South Vietnam. It was given supplies from Ho Chi Minh and wanted to reunite North and South and to introduce social and economic reform
When was the gulf of Tonkin?
1964
Why was everyone so shocked by the my Kai massacre?
Nobody other than the Us were armed so they shot unarmed innocent people
When did the my Lai massacre of 1968 come out?
1969
What was the gulf of tonkin?
President Johnson’s excuse for escalating the war
The Vietminh
An organisation started by Ho Chi Minh that fought for independence from foreign rule in Vietnam
